Hydraulic jack



May-22, 1951 F. B. SIMMONS HYDRAULIC JACK 3 Sheets-Sheet l ma l.. I .u l l I Filed Feb. l,

May 22, 1951 F. B. SIMMONS v 2,554,127

HYDRAULIC JACK f Filed Feb. l, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 \7W /N s Bnventor May 22, 1951 F. B. SIMMONS 2,554,127

l HYDRAULIC JACK Filed Feb. l, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheng Patented May 22, i951 UNITED STAT ES PATENT. FFC

2354,12? HrRAULIC J'AGK Fielding Br; Simmons, Vallejo, Calif'. Application February-fi, '1945,- seria1N0=.-575,7o5' 15.- claims.n (C1.v en -52) My invention relates to hydraulic mechanism, and a particular embodiment thereof in a hy#A draulic vise;

One of the principal objects of thisinvention" is'fto: provide ay hydraulic mechanism havingla* 5 novel release' or equalizing valve, andI a novel.` pump for transferring flu-id under pressure to operatethe moving. element, an important objectl also beingto` provide novel cam or unitary: means foroperating thevalve and pump.

Another important" object of this invention isf to provide a hydraulic mechanism in which. the pump for operating the working pist'on'plung'er` isiem'bodiedin the working or operating piston-or plungerV itself,.and also a structure ofthi'scla'ss" in which the' release 01 equalizing. valve' is also embodied in thepiston Anvv importantob'ject also of this inventionfisi to provide a vise incorporating the aforementioned-'feature of the pump inv the operating pistorror plunger.

A=further important object of this inventionii's`v4 to providea working or operating piston' which? ismo'vedbyfluid under pressurev supplied" by?v pump means actuated by thev oscillation orfoper-lation offthe'piston rod, and in: which such mech' anism is embodied in a' hydraulic vise, in whichA the:r usual operating handle servesl toA oscillate for operate the pistonfrod.

Still another important objectoff/this'invent-1A tionis-to provide a hydraulic vise' in?whiclrithe-` movable jaw may-be freely'moved by the handle" whenl the, latter 'is in a predetermined positior'i-f' A still further important object'of thisinvenf tion to provide a vise'- inl which,at'severalrpedetermined positionsf of the handlepthemovabief ja-w may be readily shifted'as de`s'ired`l,v.and` also by` pumping or oscillating action of' thel-ha-ndlal anydesired'compressing or clamping force fiiay, be obtained betweenthe jaws. Y

Sti-11V another important object of'thisfinvena' tionA is to provide a-` vise which may be` dickly manipulatedv and with particular easesaid-sensiw' tiveness.

A--stillifurther important object of-thi's invene. tion is to provide-novel means for readily'v'ary" ing the maximum pressure-or clampingfifor'ce between the jaws.

With these andV other objects in view, as'fwill"4 appear hereinafter, I have devised' a'hydraulic mechanism havingH a'- particularlyl novel embodiment in a hydraulic vise; asl will behereinafterf described in` detail and particularly set forth1 the .appendedr claims,A reference-4loeinghadtoE thei' accompanying drawings,.- and to the cli-araetersl 5 5 of referencethereon', which form a part'of this application, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of my vise, invone form of construction, with theA rear portion broken away and in section to facilitate the illustration;-

Fig; 2 is a partial elevational and partial' longitudinal sectional view off my vise, the section being taken substantially through 2-2 ofFig. 1;v

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are transverse sectional views thereof, taken through 3 3; 4 4, and 5-5 of" Fig: 6 isa partial front elevation of the vise andV alsoa diagrammatic View showing various operatingfpositionsV of the piston rod and handle;

'7 is'a fragmentary sectional view similar totherear endof Fig. 2, but on an enlarged scale,` of a slightly modified form of construction;

Fig. 8; is a transverse sectional view thereof, taken'through 8;-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig.- 9 is a-trans\ferse sectional view thereof,v taken through the same plane of Fig. '7, as in Fig.k 8-but showng the piston rod slightly rotated about its axis for closing the release valve;

Fig; l0'- isfa'rtransversey Sectional view thereof, taken through Ill--I of Fig. 7 and Figc 11 is alongitudinal sectional view taken through H-Il of Fig, 8, showing primarily the pressureadjusting or relief Valve.

The vise, shown YinV the drawings, and embody-Y ing-my invention of the hydraulic means issimilar iny appearanceto other vises now in use. It*

consists, in`` its outward appearance, generally of a base l having a stationary jawZ, a movable" ja'w 3 positioned inopposed relation to the jawt 2'.. aV shank 4a, of inverted channel construction; extending inwardly from the front wall or apron- Wo the` jaw member A;r the shank being slid-f ably mounted on the base if, a` rod Eextendi'ngv backwardl'y from theA front wall orap-ronlib and located; primarily" within the inverted channel shaped shank Ilia, and al handle i5' secured to the outer endA of the rod rfor'rotating the latter and operating vthe hydraulic mechanism' of the device,` as will behereinaiter described. Y

The Abase I; iselongated andsupportsacylild'lwliich extends longitudinally thereofl TheV jaw 2"i's'supported at the front end of a bridged housing. 8fwhch is carried by the base I and extends-around` the -forward portion) of but is spaced from' the-cylinder l. The space between the cylinder 1 andthe-housing 8'-provides a longitudinal passage invwhich theshank lia of the movable ia-w-= member 4 is slidable,A the-cylinder=1 and thef housing 8 guiding the shank 4a, holding the jaws 2 and 3 in alignment.

The cylinder I has a cylindrical bore 7a, the forward portion 'Ib thereof being referred to as the compression chamber and the rear end portion 1 being referred to as the reservoir. In the bore of the cylinder is reciprocably mounted a piston 9 which is non-rotatable therein. The rod 5, which may be referred to as the piston rod, is xedly connected to the piston against a shoulder near the inner end of the rod by a hub of a cam I0, both the rod and the cam being rotatable with respect to the piston. The rod 5 is coaxial with the bore of the cylinder and extends forwardly of the piston and through the forward wall or apron 4b of the jaw member 4. The rod 5 is axially fixed in the apron 4b by a shoulder 5a on the rod and a spacer bushing I I.

In the lower portion of the piston 9 as shown in Fig. 2 is a release or equalizing valve I2 having a valve portion I2a adapted to be seated over the forward end of the port 9a which connects the compression chamber Ib with the reservoir chamber 'Ic at respectively the forward and rear ends of the piston. The valve I2 is normally biased to its closed position by a spring I2b.

At the upper portion of the piston is provided a bore 9b in the forward end of which is reciprocably mounted a compression valve I3 and in the rear end of which is reciprocably mounted I a plunger I4. The piston is also provided with a laterally spaced bore 9 which is joined at its inner end to the intermediate portion of the bore 9b. The bore SC terminates flush with the rear side of the piston. In the latter end of the bore 9C is provided .an intake valve I5. The valves I3 and I5 are normally biased to their closed p0- sitions by springs I3a and |55, respectively.

Outward or rearward movement of the plunger I4 causes the valve I5 to become unseated, drawing a charge of fluid from the reservoir 1C, and inward or forward movement of the plunger causes compression of the fluid and unseating the valve I3 thereby forcing the charge of compressed fluid into the compression chamber 'Ib of the cylinder.

In this manner, the piston 9 is forced inwardly or backwardly, drawing the jaw member 4 in- Wardly and the jaw 3 toward the jaw 2 for tightly clamping an article between the jaws.

The unseating of the valve I2 and the operation of the pump plunger I4 is effected by the cam I which is positioned behind the piston and is provided at the side adjacent the piston with a helical cam surface Illa. The cam is so positioned that the initial movement thereof, and of the handle 5, as indicated by the arc designated A in Fig. 6, causes unseating of the valve I2. Continuing rotation of the cam permits the valve I2 again to seat, and forces the plunger I4 inwardly in order to force a charge of fluid' into the compression chamber 'Ib of the cylinder. Oscillation of the handle 6, and therefore of the cam I0, causes continued reciprocation of the plunger I4 and causes continued forcing of fluid, under pressure, into the chamber 1b, thereby forcing the jaw 3 toward the jaw 2. The arc of oscillation of the handle and the cam is indicated by B in Fig. 6.

In order to regulate or limit the rotative movement of the rod 5, I have provided an arcuate groove 4C at the backside of the apron or wall 4b, and I have provided a stop b on the rod 5 which engages the ends of the groove 4, thereby limiting the circular movement of the rod. Since such a stop means is a common expedient, it is not shown in detail.

The pressure in the chamber 'Ib is controlled by a regulating screw 2I at the rear end of the base. In the base is provided a longitudinal passage Ia which connects the forward and rear ends of the cylindrical bore la- At the rear portion of the passage is provided a plunger 22, which, in its forward position, intercepts the passage Ia and thereby prevents flow of fluid from one chamber of the cylindrical bore to the other. The plunger 22 is held in its forward position by a spring 23, the compression of which is controlled by the regulating screw 2I. When the pressure in the chamber 'Ib becomes excessive, the fluid therein forces the plunger 22 to compress the spring 23 and `allows the fluid to flow into the reservoir chamber 10, thus serving as a relief valve for the fluid pressure in the forward compartment or compression chamber.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figs. 7 to l1, inclusive, the primary difference from the structure above described is the location of the operating cam within the piston and the embodiment of the main release valve member within the operating cam. The piston shown in the modif-led structure is designated 3|, the operating cam 32, and the release valve member 33. The piston in this instance is also reciprocably but non-rotatably mounted in the bore 'IEL of the cylinder 1. The inner end of the rod 5 is reduced, as indicated by 5b and this reduced portion is rotatably mounted in the piston. The unit of the cam 32 and the release valve member 33 is non-rotatably secured to the outer end of the rod by a nut 34. Against the forward end of the cam is provided a washer 35 which is positioned against a shoulder on the rod, thus permitting the rod to rotate freely within the piston.

The release valve in this instance consists of a longitudinal port 3|a in the piston and a port 33a at the peripheral portion of the valve member. When the valve member 33 is in a predetermined position, the port 33a is aligned with the inner end of the port 3 Ia, permitting free passage of the operating fluid between the opposite ends of the cylinder or the piston.

At the opposite side of the piston is a bore 3| b which is parallel to the axis of the piston and in the front and rear ends thereof are located compression and intake valves 36 and 31, respectively, these valves being normally biased to their closed positions by springs as described in connection with the foregoing structure.

The cam 32 is a plate cam, against the peripheral surface of which is positioned a plunger 38 which is radially reciprocated within the piston as the rod 5 is rotated, the plunger 33 being normally held against the cam surface by a spring 39. As the plunger is drawn inwardly by the rotation of the cam, a charge of fluid is drawn in from the reservoir, and radially outward movement of the plunger 38 causes compression of the fluid in the bore 3ID and ejection of the compressed fluid through the valve 35 into the compression chamber Ib of the cylinder.

In this construction also the handle 6, or rod 5, may be oscillated to cause a pumping action in order to force the operating fluid into the compression chamber from the reservoir.

At one side of the piston, intermediate the re' this counter-bore is connected to a large bore 3Ie' S by aportfif. vIn the bore 3 Itisy located'thaaforementioned cam 32 and valve member" 33 the; latter tightly but rotatably engaging the wall of the bore Sie. In the counter-bore; sld-is reciprocably mounted a plunger valve 40 which is held in its seated position against the shoulder, between the bore SIc and' thecounter-bore 31d,` by a compression spring ill' which is held under a variable tension therein by a screw plug 42; When the pressure withinthe compression chamber Il` becomes excessive, it unseats the plunger 4B and allowsV the uid to be forced therefrom throughl the port Sie into the bore Sie, for relieving the pressure in the compression chamber. The. valve member 33 is provided with a longitudinal port 33h for connecting the inner endy of the bore 3 le with the reservoir 1. Y

The screw 42 is adjusted: whenl thepiston is shifted to its extreme inner or rear posi-tion, which occurs when the two jaws 2 and 3 engage each other. When in such inward position, the screw slot in the screw 42 is capable of receiving a screwl driver portion 43e at the inner end 0f the adjusting screw 43:, which extends through the rear wall 'ld of the cylinder. Rotation of the screw 43 adjusts the screw 42.

In both structures, as shown best in Fig. l, the cylinder 'i is substantially filled with the operating fluid at the rear end by the removal of a plug IM', the forward end of the cylinder being provided with a bleeder line normally closed by a plug 55.

In both structures there is provided at the rear end of the cylinder an air compression chamber 'le which is normally closed by a plug 46. This air compression chamber is adapted. to contain air to allow the expansion of the operating fluid within the reservoir. l

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, of my hydraulic mechanism, and a particular embodiment thereof,` in a hydraulic vise, and a certain modification thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the same, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination, and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a means of the class described, a cylinder,

a piston reciprocably mounted therein and dividing the cylinder into separate chambers,4 a release valve for connecting, when open, the chambers of the cylinder at the opposite ends of the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing iiuid from one chamber to the other to move the piston, ia rodv for the piston, said rod being mounted for oscillatory and reciprocable movement in the cylinder, and a -cam on the rodV for actuating the pump when. the rod is oscillated.

2. In armeans of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted therein and dividing the cylinder into separate chambers, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from one chamber to the other to move the piston, a rod for the piston, said rod being mounted for oscillatory and reciprocable movement in the cylinder, and a cam on the rod for separately actuating the pump and the valve when the rod is oscillated.

3. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted therein and dividing the cylinder into separated chambers, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fiuid from one chamber to the other to move the piston, a rod for the piston,

said. rodk being; mounted for oscillatory and refciprocable movement in the2'cylinder. and campiston for forcing fluid from one chamber to the other to move the piston, a rod for thepis ton, saidl rod being mounted for oscillatory and reciprocable movement in the cylinder, and a helical cam on the rod for controlling the valve andy for actuating the pump when the rod is oscillated.

5. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod extending through the front end of the cylinder and connected to the piston, are-v lease valve on said piston for connecting, when open, the chambers of the cylinder at thev opposite ends of the piston, pump means on said pis-r ton also connecting said chambers for forcing fluid into one of said chambers from the other, and cam means in said cylinder in association with the inner end of the rod for controlling.I the valve and for actuating the pump. p

6. In a means of the class described, a cylinl der, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylin der, a rod extending through the front endv of' the cylinder and connected to the piston, a release valve on said piston for connecting, when open, the chambers of the cylinder at the opposite ends of the piston, pump means on said piston also connecting said chambers for forcing' fluid into one of said chambers' from the other oscillating cam means in said cylinder in asso'- ciation with the inner end of the rodi and coaxial therewith for controlling the valve and for actuating the pump, and a pressure control valve on said piston connecting the chambers for controlling the pressure in the chamber into which the fluid is forced by the pump.

'7`. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod extending through the front end of the cylinder ,and connected to the piston, a release valve for connecting,.when open, the chambers of the cylinder at the opposite ends of the: piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move thepiston, said rod being provided at the outer end, with means for oscillating the same, and a cam. on the. rod for actuating the pump when the rod. is oscillated.

8. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod` extending through the front end of' the cylinder and connected to the piston, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move the piston, said rod being provided at the outer end with means for rotating the same, and a cam on the rod for actuating the pump.

9. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod extending through the front end of the cylinder and connected to the piston, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other 7 end to move the piston, said rod being provided at the outer end with a means for rotating the same, and a cam on the rod for controlling the valve and for actuating the pump.

10. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod connected to the piston and extending from the cylinder, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move the piston, said rod being provided at the outer end with means for rotating the same, a cylinder cam at the inner end of the rod, said cam having a cam surface for unseating the release valve when the cam is in one extreme position, said cam surface having a portion for operating the pump when said rod is oscillated.

11. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprccably mounted in the cylinder, a rod connected to the piston and eX- tending from the cylinder, a release valve in the piston, a pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move the piston, said rod being provided at the outer end with a means for oscillating the same, a plate cam on the rod within the piston for actuating the pump when the rod is oscillated.

12. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod connected to the piston and extending from the cylinder, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing liuid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move the piston, said rod being provided at the outer end with a means for oscillating the saine, a plate cam on the rod within the piston for actuating the pump when the rod is rotated, said release valve being associated with said rod for controlling the valve when the rod is oscillated.

13. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod connected to the piston and extending from the cylinder, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move the piston, said pump comprising an intake valve at the rear end of the piston, a compression valve at the forward end of the piston, and a plunger in the piston for drawing fluid through the intake valve and ejecting the fluid through the compression valve into the forward compression chamber, said rod being provided at the outer end with a means for rotating the same, a cylinder cam at the inner end of the rod, said cam having a cam surface for unseating the release valve when the cam is in one eXtreme position, said cam surface having a portion for actuating the plunger in the piston when said rod is oscillated.

14. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a rod connected to the piston and extending from the cylinder, a release valve in the piston, pump means in the piston for forcing fluid from the chamber at one end of the piston to the chamber at the other end to move the piston, said pump comprising an intake valve at the rear end of the piston, a compression valve at the forward end of the piston, and a plunger in the piston for drawing fluid through the intake valve and ejecting the fluid through the compression valve into the forward compression chamber, said rod being provided at the outer end with a means for rotating the same, a plate cam on the rod within the piston for actuating the plunger in the piston when the rod is oscillated.

15. In a means of the class described, a cylinder, a piston positioned therein and movable relative thereto, a release valve in association with one of the former, said valve, when open, connecting the chambers of the cylinder at the opposite ends of the piston, pump means also connecting said chambers for forcing fluid into one of said chambers from the other, a rod for the piston, and cam means in said cylinder in association with the rod for controlling the valve and for actuating the pump.

FIELDING B. SIMMONS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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